What Was Once Human
by AbaratFox
Summary: Naruto stayed sane because he had Iruka but what if Iruka wasn't there? What if no one was there and Naruto went down the same path as Gaara? Hated by everyone Naruto finally decides he's had enough and commits a terrible crime. WARNING: GRAPHIC VIOLENCE!
1. Prison

**Ahh...Yet another story. I don't know if I can handle three at once but this was begging to be written. I just...had too. -_-; I don't know if any of you have ever had that feeling. **

**This chapter is more of an introduction than anything else but I hope that you enjoy it none the less! **

**AbaratFox does not own Naruto!

* * *

**"Ah! Sir, you can't go in there! Please stop!" The guard's words fell on deaf ears. Kakashi stalked deeper into Konoha's prison, radiating an aura of pure fury. He ignored the guard's please and the prisoners begging for freedom. All he could think about was Naruto. Little Naruto, son of his sensei, imprisoned in the dark.

Kakashi had never taken an interest in Naruto while he was growing up. All that Kakashi had done was throw himself into his work and ignore everyone around him and now he was paying the price. Naruto had finally snapped. The ten year old child had attempted, and to a degree he had succeeded, to kill a large group of villagers by drawing on the demon fox's chakra.

No one had ever been there for Naruto. No one had ever smiled at him, or told him he had done a good job. Villagers had beaten him, teachers mocked him, peers bullied him, and ninja just stood by and laughed. The people that care about Naruto had never done a thing. It was Kakashi's fault, who else was there to blame? The Hokage was too busy to spend time with the child and there was no one else that could care for Naruto.

Kakashi walked deeper into the mountain prison until he was deep underground and his breath froze in the air. This section was never used but Naruto was a danger to other criminals so he had to be in seclusion. The guard slowly fell further and further behind Kakashi until he could no longer hear his cries. Good. Kakashi wanted to be alone.

The hall abruptly ended as if the diggers had just dropped their shovels and left. The wall was jagged with a tiny iron door in the center. The last cell. Kakashi took a deep breath before he pushed the door open and saw…nothing but a wall of darkness.

For an ANBU, darkness meant nothing. It was their ally, it hid them from their enemies but this was true darkness and that was something he couldn't help but fear. Kakashi pulled a seal tag out of his pouch and activated it, creating a tiny light. Far in the back of the cell, chains rattled at Naruto retreated from the sudden light. Kakashi felt a little guilty, how long had Naruto been down here? Three months. Of course he would retreat from the light!

Kakashi put the seal on the inside of the door and left it on. The light so dull that he could only see a foot in any given direction but it was better than nothing. "Naruto-kun?" Kakashi called out softly but the only response was the rattling of chains.

"Kill…" Kakashi heard a tiny voice mutter and his exposed eye widened.

"What?"

"Kill…Are you…here…to kill…me?" Naruto said a little louder but his voice was cracked from disuse. The sound of the child's voice was more than Kakashi could take.

"No, I will never hurt you." Kakashi managed to say before he broke down into tears. He stood there for hours, silently crying with Naruto staying hidden in the depths of his cell. Nothing could ever be done, Naruto had crossed beyond the point of no return and it was all Kakashi's fault.


	2. 10 years of hell

**The voice Naruto hears later on is NOT the kyuubi even though it's in bold print. You'll see what I mean.

* * *

**A one year old Naruto lay in a dusty crib in the back of the room. He was hungry and his diaper needed to be changed but he didn't cry out. Long ago he had learned not to cry out.

A couple looking for a new child went from crib to crib and smiled at the infants inside. When they passed Naruto's crib the woman spat at him and the man jostled the crib. Naruto still didn't cry out.

The couple left with a different baby and the caretakers of the orphanage smiled and waved. They fed and changed each infant before they tucked them in bed with warm blankets.

When they got to Naruto they changed him simply because he smelled bad and they fed his just enough to keep him alive. He was sent to bed naked with no blanket.

Naruto shivered in the cold winter air but he still did not cry out. Even at such a young age all he knew was hatred.

XXX

A two year old Naruto hid under a bush in the backyard of the orphanage. His stomach had shrunken and he was cold but he doesn't dare leave his shelter. The others won't bother him because of the thorns but Naruto was beginning to think that a beating might be worth the chance of food.

He didn't wonder why people hurt him; it was just a fact of life. The sky is blue, water is wet, and people hurt Naruto. He heard a distant voice call his name and he shrunk further back. The caretakers call him every evening so the watching ninja could report good things to the Hokage but Naruto did not come out.

Naruto shivered as a pair of boots came in front of his line of view. "Come now, Naruto-can! You must come out!" Said the cheery voice of his caretaker.

"N-n-n-no" Naruto stuttered because his teeth were chattering. His caretaker laughed and kicked a clod of frozen dirt into Naruto's face. She laughed the whole way back to the building and Naruto franticly spat out dirt as if it was poisoned. The surrounding ninja all disappeared to report to the Hokage and Naruto was relived to be alone. He wasn't hurt when he was alone and that was all Naruto wanted.

He dragged himself out of the bush, not flinching once as the thorns tore at his skin. He had to leave. Naruto ran to the fence and with almost superhuman strength, he climbed over it. The ground on the other side was gritty and covered with broken glass but Naruto jumped down anyway. His bare feet and hands were quickly lacerated but he couldn't stop.

Naruto ran as far as he could from the orphan age. He ran until there was no skin left on his feet and there was a trail of red footprints going a mile back. Naruto hauled himself into a dumpster and he snuggled into the heat of the rotting food. At long last, Naruto was safe from all the hatred.

XXX

A three year old Naruto sat at the kitchen table of his tiny apartment and wolfed down Raman. The only food he could afford was cereal, Raman, and tap water. The Hokage sent him a large sum of money every other week but most of that was stolen or shopkeepers raised the prices when he went in to their stores. Naruto never complained, he just dutifully bought what he could and made it last as long as possible. The Hokage didn't have to send him money or give him an apartment but he had!

There was a loud bang outside the door and Naruto hit the floor. He crawled on his belly to a cupboard and shut himself inside. The pounding continued and Naruto could hear drunken laughter on the other side followed by a loud splintering. A couple of villagers stumbled into his apartment and started smashing things and screaming for the 'demon'.

Naruto hugged his knees and trembled like a leaf. He listened to the sounds of the teens destroy his home and search for him. Fortunately, Naruto was never found but all his worldly possessions were dragged into the street and burned.

He stayed hidden for a couple more days without even sleeping. He could almost hear the echoes of the hateful villagers and that was more than enough to keep him hidden.

XXX

A four year old Naruto followed an ANBU to the academy. She was a tall woman with purple hair and a snake mask that scared him a little but he said nothing. He was going to the academy! He was going to be a ninja!

Suddenly Snake stopped and turned around. "There." She pointed to a large cluster of kids his age gathered around a white-haired young man.

"Thanks!" Naruto said. Snake nodded once before she vanished and Naruto blinked. He had to learn how to do that!

"Come on, kids! My name's Mizuki-sensei and I want everyone to tell me their names!" Naruto ran up to the group but stood off to one side.

"I'm Sasuke." A little black haired boy said and Mizuki smiled.

"Ino!"

"Kiba!"

"…Shino…"

"Sakura!"

"H-Hinata."

"Choji!"

"My name's Shikamaru."

"I'm Uzumaki Naruto!" Naruto finally shouted louder than everyone else. He grinned but all the other kids backed away from him and Mizuki shot him a hateful look. Naruto's face fell and he stared at the ground.

"Come on! I'll give you all a tour!" Mizuki said and the children cheered. He led them around the school and pointed out spots of interest to the excited kids. Naruto trailed behind everyone else and no one invited him to come closer. So even here it was the same. Even here he could not escape from the dirty looks. More than anywhere he had been before, Naruto felt imprisoned.

XXX

A five year old Naruto didn't want to go out for lunch. He wanted to sit in the back of the classroom and listen to Mizaki talk but the dreaded bell rang and all the other kids ran for the door. As slow as a funeral march, Naruto loaded up his bag and trudged after his classmates.

He had a bag of fruity cereal for lunch but Naruto knew that he wouldn't be the one to eat it. Sure enough, the second he went outside he was jumped. "Heeey, Naruto. What'd ya pack us today?" Kiba snarled as he tore Naruto's bag out of his hands. "Ew, you know I hate this kind!" Kiba curled his lip at the cereal before he threw the bag to Choji.

"Anything else?" Sasuke demanded and Kiba stuck his whole head into the bag.

"Nope!"

"Don't your Mom love you?" Choji taunted as he dropped the empty bag onto the ground. The three moved off and left Naruto alone with his head hung. Something stirred in Naruto's heart. A bitter fiery feeling that scared him more than the villagers ever had.

It was the first time that Naruto had ever been angry.

XXX

A six year old Naruto sat on the academy swings and watched other children play. He had long since stopped attempting to join in. The other kids would only run away…or hurt him. Suddenly, Naruto felt two hands slam into his back and he fell into the dirt. "Haha! Idiot, if you ain't gonna swing then get off the swings!" A loud voice jeered behind him and Naruto didn't bother to turn around. He was used to this kind of treatment.

"I think he's gonna cry!" A high female voice added. Naruto silently cursed. Sasuke and Sakura, his biggest bullies. Whenever it was the two of them other kids wasted no time in joining in and sure enough he could see other kids running over.

"Aww, is widdle-ickle Naruto-kun going to cry?" A different female voice said and Naruto realized that Ino had joined in. His heart sank, Ino had always remained neutral but she had finally joined the dark side. "To scared to even look at us?" a large group of kids had gathered around the four children and Naruto could not feel a single friendly stare.

Warily, Naruto got to his feet and faced his tormentors. "Please leave me alone." He said. His voice had started off strong but had waivered as Sasuke smirked.

"No." His enemy snickered. Sasuke pushed the swing hard enough that it swung up and hit Naruto's chin, who fell onto his ass and whimpered. Why? Why did they always pick on him? Laughter ran through the crowd of children but it sounded like fingernails on a chalkboard to Naruto. Ino ducked under the swing and sat down by him and he was shocked to see concern on her face.

"Are you okay?" Ino stage-whispered and the crowd become hushed.

"Uh…Y-yeah, I think so…"

"Psyched." Ino grinned and punched him as hard as she could in the stomach. Naruto curled into the fetal position and the crowed hooted and hollered with delight.

"Nice!" Sakura giggled before she kicked Naruto in the back.

"HEY!" One of the teachers shouted and the crowd scattered. The teacher looked from Sasuke to Ino to Sakura before his gaze rested on Naruto. The blonde flinched away from the look. Hatred. Why was he so hated?

"Naruto hit me!" Ino shrieked and she collapsed to the ground in fake sobs. Naruto was horrified and repulsed at the same time by her behavior but it was already done. The teacher grabbed Naruto by his upper arm and dragged him towards the academy. Naruto was beaten with the sound of the other children's laughter echoing in his head.

XXX

A seven year old Naruto had stopped going to the academy. What was the point? He was tormented constantly and the teachers didn't even teach him the right things! Everyone went out of their way to hurt him but no one ever got in trouble for it where as he got in trouble for _everything_.

Now Naruto spent his days in the forest surrounding Konoha. Sometimes, like today, he thought about leaving. There was nothing holding him back so what was stopping him? He had no answer to that. Perhaps it was a fear that elsewhere it would be worse or perhaps he just felt loyalty to the city he had been born in.

A red ball arced over the walls and landed near Naruto. He spent a few seconds staring at it before he ran behind a rock. Someone would come for it and Naruto knew that he didn't want to meet them. Sure enough, there came the sound of running feet and Naruto cringed when he heard the voice of his enemy.

"Where is it?" Sasuke demanded.

"Over here!"

"No! It landed there!"

"Look! There's some red right there!"

"That's not red…"Naruto felt weak kneed. Not only was it Sasuke but Kiba, Sakura, Ino, and Choji were all gathered here!

"That's orange." Too late Naruto realized that he had been found when Akamaru jumped into his lap. Kiba leered over the rock at him before he shouted back, "Hey guys! Come see what I found!"

"What?" The remaining four children ran over while Naruto struggled to get the white dog's fangs out of his arm. Kiba jumped down and tackled Naruto to the ground effortlessly. Naruto was far smaller than all the other kids his age because of malnourishment but of course Kiba credited his superior strength for the win.

"Please let me go." Naruto begged but Kiba just grinned.

"No way," He snarled just before the rest of the children rounded the corner.

"The drop out!" Sakura shouted with so much glee that Naruto's heart shriveled. This was going to be hell for him. Kiba got off him and hauled him to his feet. Naruto didn't resist as he was thrown bodily against the boulder. Choji and Kiba each grabbed one of his wrists and pulled until one of Naruto's shoulders popped out of the socket.

Naruto bit his lower lip to keep himself from crying out and he lowered his head. "Where'd you run off to Naruto? Don't you wanna be a ninja?" Ino said in a sickly sweet voice.

"Ha! As if that failure could become a ninja!" Sakura snickered. The two girls high-fived and giggled. Naruto remained silent and waited for them to start. They had never beaten him before but Naruto figured they hated him enough to try.

"So Naruto, why did you drop out?" Sasuke said and there was a long silence after his words. "Well?"

"No reason. It's like you said…I'm just a failure." Naruto finally muttered. Apparently that answer pleased them because they all started laughing.

"Let him go, I want nothing to do with that trash," Sasuke said. The group collected their ball and disappeared back into the village, leaving Naruto alone to fix his dislocated arm.

XXX

An eight year old Naruto rejoined the academy on request of the Hokage but most of the time he skipped school. Often times, Naruto would just show up while everyone else was in class and take as many scrolls as his arms could carry before leaving.

Naruto wished that he could ask the teachers for help when he was struggling but he knew that would never happen. At the moment he was sitting on his bed, attempting to teach himself how to do a proper clone.

After months of practicing Naruto had finally realized that he wasn't stupid, he had just been taught all the wrong moves. That realization had almost sent him over the edge but he had quickly regained himself by throwing himself into his work.

"Damn, this is hard." He grumbled. Naruto rolled up the scroll and hid it under his bed before he found his weapons. He methodically sharpened his blades whenever he couldn't think.

**I shouldn't have to put up with this.** A voice whispered inside of Naruto's head. He ignored it and kept on sharpening. **They have no reason so why? Why don't they treat me like the other children? I could always do **_**that**_**.**

Naruto stopped sharpening and he cocked his head to one side. What was 'that'? **I could kill them all…** Naruto's eyes widened and he put a hand on each side of his head. What? Kill? **Yes, kill! Kill them all! I could prove that I'm not worthless, that I'm strong and no one would ever hurt me again. There is nothing for me here…but it's my home so I can't leave! I shouldn't have to leave! I won't let them drive me out! Even if I lose my mind I will never leave! I want to stay but if I do I will be hurt! So I have to kill them…hurt them…destroy them. It's the only way! I have to ki-**

"SHUT UP!" Naruto screamed. The voice was gone instantly but Naruto could feel the thoughts lingering like a poison. Naruto wanted to kill.

There was no malice or anger behind it, he just wanted to kill and Naruto couldn't think of any reasons not to.

XXX

A nine year old Naruto was sick in bed. He had no one to take care of him and he was too weak to go get medicine. Even if he could, the villagers would try to kill him if he knew that he was sick. So Naruto had to lie in bed and wait to recover.

Alone, always alone.

XXX

A ten year old Naruto stumbled into an alleyway and ducked behind a dumpster in hopes of losing the group of drunks. He held his breath as the drunks stumbled down the street, shouting for him. _They won't find me, please don't let them find me!_ He prayed to anyone that might be listening but apparently even the gods hated him.

"He went that way!" A slurred male voice shouted and Naruto heard footsteps move down the alley. He shrank further into the shadow and tried to stop himself from trembling. There were so many people…he didn't want to think about what would happen to him if they all came at him at once. Naruto knew that there where ninja in the area but none of them would help him, they wanted to hurt him just as much as the villagers.

Naruto felt fingers knot into his hair and drag him roughly forward. Naruto grabbed the drunk's wrist but the man only flung him to the ground in disgust. "Ow!" Naruto couldn't help but mutter and the drunks all burst out laughing.

"You don't know the meaning of pain, demon." A drunken man spat and the beating started. Because he was already on the ground, Naruto was kicked repeatedly. His midsection was stomped on, his right arm was shattered, his face was bleeding everywhere, and his clothing had been reduced to rags but Naruto still did not cry.

Most of the drunks had passed out by the time the kicking was over, leaving only two scrawny men and one huge man with a ninja headband. "Stop…" Naruto whispered around gurgling blood but that only made the men laugh.

"We've only just started, little demon." One of the scrawny men purred.

"Take off his pants!" The ninja ordered. Naruto's eyes widened as the other scrawny man hauled him to his feet. He knew what _that _meant, even if it had never happened to him before. There was no way! Ninja protected people! They didn't…they never… would do…_that_! It wasn't until Naruto felt a hand slip into his boxers that he stared struggling.

"No! Stop it! You can't!" He shouted and he hated how shrill he sounded. Fear coursed through his veins faster than it ever had in the past.

"We can do anything we want, demon." The ninja sneered. "You killed so many of us, this is what you deserve."

"Kill? No, I…" Naruto whispered and the men ignored him. He heard the ninja's fly go down and his fear turned to anger. Why? Why him? Not once had he ever fought back. Not once had he ever argued! "You want a demon?" He breathed as the man tugged down his pants.

"FINE! I'M A DEMON!" Naruto screamed and his voice came out as a demonic roar. Red chakra enveloped Naruto and he had killed the man holding him within the second by tearing his head off his neck. Blood splattered across his shirt and face but he was beyond caring. The ninja and other man stumbled backwards, suddenly sober but it was too late.

Naruto threw the dead man's head into the ninja so hard that it passed completely through the ninja's body, taking out his heart and a large chunk of his chest. The scrawny man turned around and ran as fast as he could but Naruto caught him and tore his spine out of his back.

He didn't wait to see the bodies fall; instead he took a kunai out of the ninja's pouch and drove it into his left forearm until it hit bone. This would seem like the act on a madman to outside eyes but to Naruto it held a purpose. A long time ago the Hokage had told him that no matter what they looked like or acted like on the outside, so long as their blood was red they were human.

Naruto dragged the knife through his flesh as if it was a hot knife through butter and he delighted in the sight of his blood. The last vestiges of Naruto's sanity vanished as he watched his blood trickle down his arm and he snickered. There was all the proof he had wanted…he was a demon.

Humans had red blood. Naruto's blood was silver.

Beautiful… Silver like the full moon, silver like a sharpened blade, silver like the color of a demon's blood. Nothing in Naruto's short life could compare to the wild delight he felt at the sight of his blood. He knew now! He was a demon and he never had to deal with pathetic humans again!

On the spur of the moment, Naruto carved the word 'HATRED' into his forearm and he giggled as it healed over instantly, but the word stayed like a tattoo in black ink. Naruto tossed the Kunai into a drunk's forehead and the unconscious man died instantly.

"Oh my god!" A voice called at the entrance to the alley and Naruto turned to see an ANBU squad. The speaker was a slender female with a snake mask. Naruto frowned at them. Those masks made them look like demons. They were humans. Humans shouldn't pretend to be demons!

"My blood's silver, is yours?" He asked but none of the ANBU responded.

"Uzumaki Naruto, you are under arrest for the murder of four Konoha citizens." A male with a hawk mask said. Naruto cocked his head to one side then grinned.

"Nu-uh! I killed more!" Naruto laughed before red chakra exploded out from him. This time, the chakra spiraled out from him like blades and everyone touched by it was torn to shreds. The ANBU all charged him and he killed a couple before they overtook him and slapped a seal onto his chest that forced his chakra back.

"Uzumaki Naruto, you are under arrest for the murder of twenty-nine citizens of Konoha." Hawk said again but this time his voice trembled. Much to everyone's horror, Naruto merely burst into laughter.

"I've killed all of Konoha! You fools just don't know it yet!" He sang and collapsed in crazy laughter. The ANBU members where frightened but they dutifully put Naruto and Shackles and hauled him off to the council of elders.

Naruto sang, "You're all dead" the whole way there.


	3. Bones

**How am I going to escape? The only time the door is opened is when a guard comes in…or Kakashi. Not to mention these chains. **

Naruto was quietly sitting in the back of his cell, half listening to the voice in the back of his head and half drawing swirls in the dirt. He found it almost amusing that the voice in the back of his head that had once edged him on to his current state of mind was now calmly and logically planning an escape. But then, that was what a conscience was supposed to do. Speak for the minority of the brain.

_Food's coming._ He thought.

**If he comes to close I should kill him and see if he has keys. **

_He won't _

**He might. **

Naruto squinted as the guard entered with a dull torch in one hand. The guard couldn't see where Naruto was but Naruto watched him carefully, waiting for him to enter the area of the cell his chains allowed him to reach. Unfortunately, the guard knew better than that.

A bowl of cold broth was set on the boundary of where Naruto could reach and then the guard left. There was a series of loud clicks as the door was locked up then there was the sound on pounding feet as the guard ran back to the main part of the prison.

The bowl of broth had a foul odor about it but Naruto was hungry enough to not care. He crawled over to his poor meal on all fours, his heavy shackles made it difficult to stand in his half-starved state and Naruto had long since given up on trying.

**Bastard. **

_Or coward._

Naruto reasoned with himself. The bowl was just out of reach, even when he was flat on his stomach with his arms stretched as far as they could go. This happened a lot. Naruto just had to retreat back and try to ignore the smell of partially rotting food and hope that Kakashi would bring him something substantial later.

**He's on a mission now. **

_Huh?_

**Kakashi's on a mission now, he left a week ago. **

…

**He's on a mission with his genin team. **

Naruto grit his teeth and let out a guttural growl. Stupid genin team. Kakashi had originally come and visited him every day. He would bring real food and just talk. Naruto never responded or even acknowledged the man's presence but he still came day after day.

Until the genin tam came. They were on the top of Naruto's 'To Kill' list. Kill the people that took Kakashi away. Naruto tugged at the sleeve of his striped prison uniform and tried to pull it over his arm. It must have been night because the temperature had started plummeting.

**If I'm underground….**

_Huh?_

**Isn't it supposed to always be hot underground? It's always so cold….**

_Who cares? I like it._

**Yeah, I do but it's kind of unpleasant. **

Naruto grinned. There it was again. His conscience was taking the logical side again. Naruto rolled onto his back and spread his arms out. He didn't mind the cell but he still needed to destroy all of Konoha…excluding Kakashi of course.

_Should I kill the other prisoners first? _

**No, I kill the guards first. Then I release the prisoners and let them run for the exit…but then-**

_I kill them right before they reach freedom! _

**Yes. **

Alone, in his dark cell, Naruto began to laugh. It was the kind of shrill hysterical laughter that echoed and billowed and gave grown men nightmares. It was also the first sound that Naruto had made in almost two years.

XXX 

"That is one fucking scary kid." Yume muttered. He had sprinted all the way back from Naruto's cell and collapsed into a chair in the guard's tower.

"I know what you mean. Lucky they took me off the shift that feeds him." Ami said. She put a cup of hot chocolate in Yume's hand and sat down next to him. Then she put an arm over his shoulder and rubbed his arm soothingly.

Both guards stiffened and Yume started trembling when faint hysterical laughter started up.

"Is that…?" Yume muttered.

"Yeah, that's him." Ami had a hard look in her eyes and she wished that she could shut up the insane demon brat once and for all. It was unfortunate that the villagers hadn't been able to when he was younger. Now if anyone tried to…Ami put a hand up to the bandages on her right arm and grit her teeth.

Someone needed to kill the demon brat. Too bad none of the guards were strong enough to do it.

XXX

_I want a throne. _

**That's stupid. **

_I want a throne. _

**Here?**

_I want a throne. _

**Why?**

_I want a throne. _

**Okay, fine. I want a throne. How the hell am I supposed to get one? **

_I'll make it._

**Out of what? Rocks? **

_No._

**Okay, then what? **

Naruto's head snapped up in surprise as the door grated open. It wasn't time for food and Kakashi always knocked…so who was it? There was light, brighter than Naruto had ever seen used in the prison, in the hand of the person. The light was painful, even with his eyes closed so Naroto had to bury his face into his knees. He listened to the sound of the door grating shut and the sound of rustling before the invader finally spoke.

"Ha! I come expecting to see a demon but you're not a demon at all! You're just a pathetic little boy that's afraid of light!" I feminine voice jeered.

_Who is that?_

_**Isn't that the woman whose arm I mutilated? **_

_Maybe…_

Naruto raised his head and slowly opened his eyes but he couldn't get past a squint before he had to bury his face once more.

"Aww, is it too bright?" Ami said. "Here will this help?" The guard muttered something and the light dimmed considerably. Naruto lifted up his head and squinted at the woman.

**What's her problem? **

"There are so many people whose lives you ruined, so many people who are dead because of you!" Ami raved. "But it will all end now! I'll kill you here and now! I won't make the same mistakes as last time!"She took a step forward and unsheathed the curved blade on her hip.

**Shit! Shit, shit, shit! This bitch will kill me!**

_I want a throne. _

**Now's not the time. **

_I want a throne. _

The voice in the back of Naruto's mind started to scream at him but Naruto just sat and watched Ami come closer and closer. Five more steps…now just four…three… two. Ami stopped a step away from the border of where Naruto's chains could go and she smiled.

"Too scared to move, little demon? Don't worry, I'll put you out of your misery soon enough." She cooed. She took one more step forward and entered Naruto's territory.

Naruto covered his mouth to hide his grin as he allowed Ami to walk deeper into his territory. Soon, very soon she would be close enough.

_She's the first. _

**What?**

_She's the first person to come into my territory. _

**Yes, and she wants to kill me. I need to move! **

_I want a throne. _

**Now is REALLY not the time! **

Ami stood over Naruto with the blade raised high above her head. "Bye-bye, little demon." She snarled. The curved sword arched downward but Naruto rolled out of the way at the last second. The chains that attached the shackles on his neck, wrists, and ankles rattled loudly and dragged him down but he still managed to scamper out of the way of the next blow.

"Just die!" Ami shrieked and she swung her sword wildly. Naruto crawled as quickly as he could so that his chains wrapped around the enraged woman's legs. As quick as he could, Naruto snapped his arms and head back so that the chains grew taught and Ami was knocked to the floor and her sword fell out of her hand and clattered to the door. 

Naruto sat down on her stomach hard enough that she was winded and he wrapped a chain around her neck so that she was short of air but still conscious.

Then he grinned.

"Y-you can't hurt me! I-if you do…" Ami coughed and her fingers weakly knitted into the heavy chain at her neck. "T-they'll k-kill you."

Naruto's grin widened and he lowered his face so that his nose was less than an inch from his guard's. "Did you really think you could kill me?" He purred. His voice was scratchy and deep from disuse and it sent shivers down Ami's spine.

"If…y-you d-do kill…me. Th-then you'll ju-j-just p-prove me…right." Ami said. Her eyes whirled around the cell as she desperately for an escape route. She didn't care what she was saying, if only she could just delay him until someone else came! But no one was coming. Ami had not told anyone what she was going to do and food for Naruto for hours.

The worst part was…Naruto knew this as well.

"Good, do you know why?" He said in his horse purr. Ami shook her head and stared into his eyes. "Because you are right."

"Gaah! Uhag!" Ami screamed as the chain tightened a fraction. Naruto lowered his head and kissed Ami on the lips. She stopped struggling and stared at him in shock and disgust. Then Naruto brushed his cheek against hers and he whispered, "I think that I'll enjoy this."

He lifted his head up and let go of the chain at her neck with one hand but he kept it tight with the other. Naruto grabbed one of Ami's hands and easily tore it off the chain. She was so weak from lack of oxygen that she didn't put up any resistance.

"S-stop. Please…stop." Ami whispered but Naruto just grinned.

_I want a throne. Not one made of wood or rock….I want a throne made of_

**Bones. **

Naruto brought Ami's wrist to his lips and he kissed it. Then he bit it.

Ami's eyes stretched wide and she began to writhe but Naruto just tightened the chain until she stopped.

Naruto chewed through her flesh until his teeth met resistance. He paused to lick some of the blood from his lips and then he locked his teeth around her bone and, ever so slowly, he pulled it out.

XXX

It had taken an hour before the woman passed out and only a half out after that for her to die. But now Naruto had bones... he was a demon wasn't he? The only demon in all of Konoha. That made him the demon king of Konoha. And all kings needed thrones.

He tossed the shredded meat next to the door and by the sword. It was a pity that the blade had landed so far away; he could have used it well for an escape.

_After I destroy Konoha… I think I'll stay there. _

**Why?**

_And this cell will be my throne room and I will have human servants at my beck and call. _

**If I kill everyone in Konoha, who will be my servants? **

_I'm strong enough to kill everyone in Konoha. _

**Yeah?**

_Then I'm strong enough to rule all of Fire Country. _

…**Why should I stop there? If I'm truly that strong then…**

…_I could rule the world!_

**And all from the room that had once been my prison. **

For the second time, Naruto's laughter boomed around the prison and sent shivered down the spines of guards and prisoners alike.


	4. Sealed

**It's been such a long time since my last upload... D: I really have no excuses so...sorry?**

**If you didn't notice, the rating had gone from T to M. This is just to be on the safe side. **

**It [this story] might be really confusing for a bit longer but I have a plot in mind and As I shift perspective I'm hoping some things will clear themselves. **

* * *

"Oh, Kakashi? Would you mind staying here to talk with me?" The Third Hokage asked and he folded his fingers in front of his face.

"Yes Sir," Kakashi said and he looked down at his genin team. Some resentment still bubbled up at the sight of them but he hid it. Innocent as they might act, they had played their part in hurting Naruto. He couldn't help but to think about the blonde every time he saw them. "You guys are dismissed for the day." He said. "Meet me tomorrow at the usual place."

"Yes Sensei!" Sakura said and she and Ino followed Sasuke, who had become an unofficial ring leader, out. The sound of their loud chatter echoed unpleasantly around the halls and Kakashi studied the withered, old man before him while he waited for their voices to fade.

"Kakashi!" The Third stood up and folded his arms behind his back. Kakashi blinked and shut his book before pocketing it. Evidently, this was not just about his team's progress.

"Sir?"

"I must request that you stop seeing Naruto from now on." Kakashi's eye went wide but the Third cut him off. "He killed a guard and collected her bones. I send two ANBU in however he killed both of them in the same manner. He was playing with their skulls when I got there. I am sorry, Kakashi, but Naruto's prison has been moved."

"Where?" Kakashi demanded but the Third shook his head.

"Worry about your team, forget that Naruto ever existed. I only let you see him in the first place because I thought he might become the boy he had been once more. Unfortunately, he's just fallen further."

"Further?" Kakashi repeated. "He still thinks he's a demon, right? How can it get worse than _that_?"

"Kakashi, do not worry about it."

"He's Minato's son! How can I _not_ worry about him?" Kakashi balled up his fists in frustration. The Third was asking the impossible! But, the worst thing was how calm he was. Saratobi was sentencing the boy he had once loved as a grandson to a terrible fate and he was completely emotionless. "I can still save him!"

"That's _enough_." The Third said. "He is no longer something that Minato would have considered to be a son. He has gone past the point of being something _I_ consider to be human."

"And whose fault is that? We-I-let this happen to him!"

"_Kakashi!_ That is enough! You have a team to worry about now! You will never see Naruto again and even if you did you would not recognize him. More and more he's living in a fantasy world. He didn't even see me when I went to get him!" Saratobi shouted. "He just talks to himself!" The outburst left the old man winded and he stood panting for a second while both ninja tried to collect themselves.

"Does," Kakashi finally said quietly. "Does…he still think that his blood it…silver?"

"Yes." Saratobi said and he sat down heavily in his chair. "No matter what I say he won't believe me. I even nicked his finger to show him that it was red but he just started to laugh. Naruto has been consumed by his own insanity. I order you to let this mater rest Kakashi. Please, just trust that I will do my best."

"I…Yes Sir." Kakashi said.

XXX

Naruto licked his lips and looked around once more. So odd…he had been imprisoned in a simple cave before but this new cell vexed him. Where was he?

**I think…this is someplace I can't get out of. **

_I won't know until I try._

He was floating in the middle of what looked like a giant lake within some sort of flooded sewer. The room was huge and the walls appeared to be white…except for the one to Naruto's right which was simply an enormous cage. Only, the water was too clean and Naruto had no troubles breathing. Giant chains wrapped around Naruto and attached the walls randomly. There was also a simple seal in the middle of his chest on top of the chains. Whatever it was, Naruto was effectively bound in place.

**Oh? And what exactly should I try?**

Naruto ignored the nagging voice and he twisted in his chains to try to get at the seal on his chest. If he removed that…Naruto had a suspicion that the seal was the thing that bound him and if he could just remove it then the whole prison would vanish.

"Hello little human." A deep voice rumbled and Naruto looked at the cage. He could have sworn he saw a flash of red deep inside. "I must say, I never imagined that I would meet my host in this fashion." Something was defiantly moving in there…Naruto squinted and craned his neck.

Red eyes.

Crimson eyes, floating in darkness was the only thing Naruto could see but he was mystified.

"You have nice eyes." Naruto said and his voice came out as a scratchy whisper. He had not spoken out loud in so long and his voice strained with disuse.

"Eh? That's all you have to say?" The eyes asked and Naruto smiled happily. Although, to many, Naruto's happiness would have seemed more like derangement. "Interesting…you managed to become a monster without my help."

**What is that thing?**

_It's pretty…I want eyes like that. _

**I'm scared. **

_I'm excited. _

"Who are you?"

"I, pathetic host, am the Nine Tailed Demon Fox."

_He's a demon!_

**He's a **_**real**_** demon!**

The fox came into view and Naruto was seized by the desire to hug one of it's long, swishing tails.

_I want a tail. _

**Yeah, yeah, whatever. **

"You aren't afraid?" The Kyuubi asked and it seemed almost at a loss as to what to do. It had planned the meeting of his host many times but he never had expected to see his host imprisoned right beside him. It miffed him and he wanted to know exactly what was wrong with this fearless boy.

"Why should I be afraid?" Naruto asked. Then his eyes widened and his pupils dilated so quickly that the Fox was almost alarmed. "I'm a demon too…I had a throne. It was so pretty but they took it away…they took it all away. I want it back! I want my skulls back!" Naruto chattered excitedly. It struck the fox that this boy was not brave and nor was he stupid. He was insane. "I have to find a way out, I want my throne back! I want my cave!" Naruto howled and his eyes rolled back in his head. "Took it away…give it…give it…I want it back!"

"Interesting. They tried to destroy me and they created this." The Fox mused and it leaned forward. It's host was unearthly pale and thin. His hair was long and unkempt and he was dressed in a black and white striped prison uniform that was clearly far too big for him. Was he capable of killing? Oh yes...and of mush worse.

**I need to stop this. **

"Hey Fox!" Naruto hissed. The Kyuubi resented being addressed in such a manner but it just blinked at Naruto.

**This isn't me. **

"What, human?"

**I never wanted to be like this. **

"Can you take the seal off me? I want to get out!"

_Shut up._

The Fox sneered at him before it tossed it's head.

_This is exactly what I want to be. _

"Fool, if I could do that, don't you think I would have freed myself long ago?"

_I am a demon. _

"Good point."

**I'm not. I should listen to the Third. **

_Even if I did, what then?_

**He could help me. **

_I'm past the point of being helped. _

**No, not yet. **

"Then I guess I'll have to get myself out." Naruto looked up at the water surface far above and he smiled. "Then I can destroy the village…and kill everything living in it's walls."

"Good luck with that." The fox scoffed but Naruto didn't even look at it.

"I want them to suffer. I want them to tremble in fear and beg for death…and I won't oblige them. I want them to suffer beyond what they could possibly imagine before I annihilate them."

"Good luck," The Fox said but this time there was no hint of doubt in his voice. "Little demon."


End file.
